INTRO.- I thank God, whom I serve. Who are you serving in this life?
ILL.- When I worked for Safeway stores many years ago in Joplin, MO, the manager often made you feel like you owed Safeway your living and you should be totally dedicated to Safeway. For example, my manager would often call me even when I wasn’t scheduled to work and say, “Could you come to work at 1 p.m. and work till 10. Or maybe 3 to midnight?”
I hated to get those calls because I was young and had lots of irons in the fire, as most young people do. If nothing else, I wanted to play, visit friends, chase girls, work on my car, go drag race or whatever.
Whether I realized it or not, what I did in life showed the one I served and at that time in my life, it wasn’t the Lord because I had stopped going to church.
When I finally came to my senses and realized I was a sinner and needed forgiveness, I came to Christ and surrendered to Him, confessed Him and was baptized into Him. At that moment, life changed for me. Even though I still liked cars and worked for Safeway, I had a new boss. I now served the King. We all serve the King no matter what we do or what we don’t do in life!
Is this similar to your life?
PROP.- We all need to recognize that we are in Christ and Christ in us. We need to serve Him most of all in this life. How so?
1- Remember others in prayer
2- Recall the faith of others
3- Refuel the flame in you
I. REMEMBER OTHERS IN PRAYER
3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
ILL.- The Sunday School teacher asked the little boy, “Do you say grace before you eat?” The little boy replied, “It ain’t necessary. My mom is a good cook.” Good cook or not, good food or not, we should always say grace or give thanks for the food that the Lord has provided for us.
Likewise, prayer is something we should always do, whether good or bad comes our way. But many people don’t pray with any regularity, perhaps only when they get into trouble. They may only use prayer in times of emergency, like sending God an SOS signal (save our ship or save our souls). IS PRAYER YOUR STEERING WHEEL OR YOUR SPARE TIRE?
Many people may well think it doesn’t do any good to pray or else they may think they can get along just fine without anybody’s help, including God. Or they may not care about others enough to pray for them.
ILL.- Henry Ward Beecher, “I pray on the principle that the wine knocks the cork out of a bottle. If there is an inward fermentation, there must be a vent.”
What did he mean by that? If it’s on the inside it’s got to come out. If your heart is in tune with the Lord, you can’t help but pray and commune with Him.
ILL.- Max Lucado wrote: Did God call us to preach without ceasing? Or teach without ceasing? Or have committee meetings without ceasing? Or sing without ceasing? No, but he did call us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
ILL.- Peter Kreeft on Prayer: "Let's get very basic and very practical about prayer. The single most important piece of advice I know about prayer is also the simplest: JUST DO IT! How to do it is less important than just doing it.
"Less-than-perfect prayer is infinitely better than no prayer. Similarly, no program, method, book, teacher, or technique will ever succeed in getting us to start doing anything unless there is first of all that simple, absolute choice to do it. "Just say yes."
"The major obstacle in most of our lives to just saying yes to prayer, the most popular and powerful excuse we give for not praying, or not praying more, or not praying regularly, is that we have no time.
"The only effective answer to that excuse, I find, is a kind of murder. You have to kill something, you have to say no to something else, in order to make time to pray. Of course, you will never find time to pray, you have to make time to pray. And that means unmaking something else. The only way to install the tenant of prayer in the apartment building of your life is to evict some other tenant from those premises that prayer will occupy. Few of us have any empty rooms available."
Kreeft is right! And let me suggest that praying for others is probably the best thing we can do for others. And then tell them we are praying for them.
Ephesians 6:18-20 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
Colossians 4:2-4 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”
I Peter 4:7 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”
If you want to be the Lord’s servant then start by serving others through prayer.
II. RECALL THE FAITH OF OTHERS
4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
ILL.- Roy Weece, 74, of Joplin passed away at 5:25 p.m. Saturday, April 21, 2007, at the home of his daughter following a courageous battle with cancer.
Roy was born Nov. 24, 1932, in Cimmaron, Kan., and had lived in Joplin the last year after many years in Columbia. He graduated from Ozark Bible College in 1955 with his bachelor’s degree and 1957 with his master’s degree. He was a Christian minister. He had served the Ninth St. Christian Church in Eldon and for 39 years served as the campus minister for Christian Campus House at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Roy married Carol Meyer on Jan. 4, 1960, in Eldon, and she survives. Additional survivors include one daughter, three sons, three brothers and five sisters;17 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
NOW GET THIS: In Roy’s lifetime he baptized more than 10,000 people into Christ! How’s that for witnessing and soul winning?! Pretty amazing, huh?
Roy told about picking up 3 students one day who were standing beside their stalled car. Roy was driving his VW Beetle. They said, “It’s good that you’d pick us up with so little space." Roy said, “My leader wanted me to do this.” One boy said, “He’s told old for the Boy Scouts.” Another said, “The Mafia?” “And who is your leader?” they asked.
Roy suggested that they grab hold of some firm object in the car and then he’d tell them. As they laughed, Roy told them, of course, that his leader was Jesus Christ.
Recall the faith of others. It wasn’t long after I confessed my faith in Christ publicly and was baptized that I heard Roy Weece in a revival in Carthage, MO. After hearing him preach his first sermon I said, “If I hadn’t already become a Christian I would now.”
Recall the faith of others. Why? Because the strong faith of others can strengthen our faith in Christ. Recall the faith of those who’ve gone before us and recall the faith of those who are now living and be blessed by them.
ILL.- Boyce Mouton is the preacher at the First Christian Church of Carl Junction, MO. He’s been there over 30 years. Prior to that he preached at the Fairview Christian Church in Carthage, MO, where I was ordained on Feb. 4, 1968. I have always been blessed by Boyce’s faith and preaching. In fact, I used to say that I learned more from Boyce’s sermons than I did at Bible College. That said a lot for his preaching!
ILL.- I just returned from participating in the funeral of an elder friend in Iberia, MO. Ralph Riemensnider was a great man of faith in Christ and had great love for people. He was one of the best examples to me of what a Christian should be! He even loaned me money and how many people do you know would loan a preacher money? And then co-signed the loan?
Recall the faith of others and be blessed and strengthened by their faith and become more committed to serving Christ.
III. REFUEL THE FLAME IN YOU
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
The idea of refueling the flame is that of adding fuel, arouse, rekindle, excite, stimulate, stir up, whip up, work up. DO WE NEED THIS? Do we ever!
ILL.- I like the story about two men out fishing on Sunday morning. They were feeling kind of guilty and especially, since neither of them had caught any fish.
One said to the other, “I guess I should have stayed home and gone to church.” The second guy replied, “I couldn’t have gone to church anyway because my wife is sick in bed.”
ILL.- Or the preacher said to one of his deacons, “Hey, I was told that you went to a ball game instead of coming to church this morning.” The deacon replied, “That’s a lie! And here’s the fish to prove it.”
Have you noticed how we have the energy for some things but not for others?
Some people don’t mind spending thousands of dollars on their sport, but at the same time wouldn’t think of giving 10 percent of their income to the Lord’s church. Some will be quick to talk about something they are passionate about but not Jesus.
It should be obvious to us that we all need more passion for the Lord, His church and His mission in this world! How can we get this passion? How can we refuel the flame? It’s a matter of allowing the Holy Spirit to fire us up!
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
God’s Spirit is powerful, He is not fearful. By refueling His flame in us, we, too, will become more passionate and powerful in living the Christian life. But how can this happen? Time alone with God is the only way I know how to refuel the flame.
Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."
Luke 6:12 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
Luke 11:1 “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
Matthew 14:23 “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.”
Matthew 26:40-42 “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
Could it be that Jesus got power from His Father through prayer? I believe so and we need to imitate Him in this practice.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17)
If I want to get fired UP about bass fishing all I need to do is read a good bass fishing magazine. GET THE IDEA about how to get fired up for the Lord? READ THE BOOK!
Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
The Holy Spirit can empower us for life and living the Christian life. We should pray that He will. As servants of the Lord we should refuel the flame, the power of God’s Spirit in us!
ILL.- One preacher jealously said of preacher Dwight L. Moody one time, “Who does Moody think he is? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” Another preacher fired back and said, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Moody.”
And if He had a monopoly on us no telling what would happen in our lives for Christ.
CONCLUSION----------------------
Are your true colors are showing? The meaning is that after a period of time a person’s true personality or character reveals itself.
Bernie Madoff may have appeared to be a nice guy to some people around him, but now his true colors are showing. He was a thief, a swindler, a crooked man, a greedy man, an evil man.
Are your colors showing? If you are the Lord’s servant then let it be evident by thinking more of others, praying for others, and by allowing God to work in you through His Spirit.
Steve Shepherd, Jonesboro Christian Church, AR
jonesborochristianchurch@suddenlink.net
